Vestal, N.Y. -- The UMBC Baseball team blasted five homers, including two from freshman
Danny Wyatt, to overcome a nine run deficit to stun NJIT, 18-14, on Thursday night in the America East Tournament hosted by Binghamton.
The second seeded Retrievers trailed third seeded NJIT 11-2 in the middle of the fourth, and 13-5 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
Sam Daniels picked up the win after entering and striking out the only batter he faced in the seventh to strand two in scoring position.
Sam Downs worked a scoreless final two innings, striking out five, to pick up the save.
Matt Ryan,
Luke Trythall and
Anthony Swenda also homered for UMBC. Wyatt had a team-high five RBI, while Swenda had four and Trythall and
Kyle Eddington each had three. Ryan drove in two runs and
Derek Paris had the other RBI for the Retrievers.
Every starter had at least one hit and one run scored, with Ryan and Trythall each drawing three walks. Swenda also swiped a base.
UMBC will play No.1 Bryant at 3 p.m. on Friday. The winner advances to Saturday's championship, the loser will play in an elimination game at 7 p.m.
How it Happened:
- UMBC got on the board first, using an RBI single from Swenda and a sacrifice fly from Wyatt to go up 2-0 in the first.
- The Highlanders would then reel off 11 straight runs to take an 11-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth
- The Retrievers would begin to chip away in the bottom of the fourth after back-to-back RBI singles from Eddington and Paris made it 11-4, before Swenda drew a bases loaded walk to make it 11-5
- NJIT would get to runs back in the top of the fifth to push the lead back to 13-5
- It would remain 13-5 until the bottom of the sixth when Ryan smashed a solo homer and then Trythall hit a two-out three-run blast to cut the deficit to 13-9
- The Highlanders would get extend the lead back to five, at 14-9 in the seventh, before Daniels entered to strand the runners
- The Retrievers would then explode in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead
- Eddington and Dawson Baracani were each hit by pitches to start the inning, and after a pitching change, Justin Taylor singled to load the bases
- Ryan was then hit by a pitch to force in a run and make it 14-10
- Swenda drove in a run with an RBI groundout, before Wyatt hit a no-doubt three-run homer to tie the game at 14
- Trythall then walked with two outs, and after another pitching change, Paris doubled to put two in scoring position
- Eddington then drove both home with a single to give UMBC an improbable 16-14 lead
- After Downs stranded a pair in scoring position with a strikeout in the top of the eighth, Swenda and Wyatt hit back-to-back homers to make it 18-14
- NJIT would get a leadoff double in the ninth, but Downs struck out the next three to lockdown the win
